Are you dealing with foot or ankle pain? Is your quality of life changing? At Advanced Foot and Ankle Specialists in Schaumburg, Chicago, Elgin, Crystal Lake, and Huntley, Illinois, your team of five expert podiatrists can help, and treatment may be simpler than you think. Read here about some painful foot and ankle conditions.

When it hurts...

Make an appointment with Advanced Foot and Ankle Specialists. Your podiatrist will inspect your feet and ankles, note their skin texture and color and observe any areas of soreness, deformity, blistering or other problems. As needed, he will take digital X-rays or other special imaging to visualize internal structures, and he may do a gait analysis, too, to understand your balance and how you place your feet as you walk.

Foot and ankle pain

Many times, foot and ankle pain results from overuse. You simply are on your feet too long throughout the day, or perhaps as an avid athlete, you have overtrained, causing stress fractures, tendonitis, or other inflammatory conditions which are acute and limited. Other uncomfortable problems involve the skin and toenails: toenail fungus, athlete's foot, corns, calluses and ingrown toenails are prime examples.

Additionally, poorly structured footwear causes foot and ankle pain. Good arch support, ample room in the toe box and heels of a sensible height (no higher than two to two and a half inches, says the American Podiatric Medical Association) keep your lower extremities comfortable and protected from injury.

Other foot and ankle pain comes from deformity and disease. These problems include:

Diabetic neuropathy-cramping, tingling, burning pain in the feet

Bunion, a bulging of the metatarsophalangeal joint at the base of the big toe

Arthritis, particularly "wear and tear" arthritis

Heel spurs--often associated with bunions

Neuromas, an enlargement of a nerve bundle typically between the third and fourth toes

If you're in pain, please don't wait. The team at Advanced Foot and Ankle Specialists will uncover the problem, formulate treatment and get you on your feet again. Call one of our five locations today for a convenient appointment.

How your podiatrists in Schaumburg, Chicago, Elgin, Crystal Lake, and Huntley, IL, can help with bunion pain

Are you dealing with annoying bunions? If so, you are probably having difficulty putting on your shoes, experiencing trouble when walking or standing, and may be experiencing recurring foot pain on top of it all. However, when bunions start to disrupt your life, you can turn to your local podiatrist for help! The foot doctors at Advanced Foot And Ankle Specialists can help you and your feet feel better when you visit one of our office locations in Schaumburg, Chicago, Elgin, Crystal Lake, and Huntley, Illinois!

More about Bunions

So, how do you know if you have a bunion? It will show up as a hard, bony bump next to your big toe. It may be painful, especially when you wear shoes and put weight on your foot. You are also more likely to get a bunion if you wear tight, narrow shoes or high heels. Narrow shoes cause your toes to crush together, and your big toe will rub against the inside of your shoe, causing a bunion.

If you have a small, nonpainful bunion, you can try a few simple home therapies like these:

Icing the bunion for 15 minutes several times during the day

Taping the bunion to add support and cushioning

Wearing padding or inserts in your shoes

Changing to wider shoes

Taking over-the-counter pain and anti-inflammatory medications

Large bunions, on the other hand, should be treated by your podiatrist. At Advanced Foot And Ankle Specialists, our foot doctors offer several effective treatments to get rid of your bunion. They may suggest:

Custom-fit orthotics and footwear to support and realign your foot

Exercises to increase and maintain joint mobility

Removing calluses or corns to reduce friction

Night splints to help realign your toe and foot

Surgical therapy for severe bunion cases

Give us a Call!

If you are suffering from bunion pain, you and your feet can feel better. All it takes is a simple phone call to the podiatrists at Advanced Foot And Ankle Specialists! Contact one of our offices today:

Women’s winter boots with high, spiked heels and narrow, pointed toes may seem like the epitome of haute couture, but these boots can make feet and ankles unstable on snow- and ice-covered surfaces.

Falls from high-heeled winter boots can lead to a number of injuries, depending on how you lose your balance. If your ankles roll inward or outward, they can break. If your ankles twist, ligaments can be stretched or torn, causing an ankle sprain. Slipping or falling in high-heeled boots can also cause broken toe,
metatarsal and heel bones.

Opt for a low-heeled boot this winter, and be sure to scuff up the soles of new boots or buy adhesive rubber soles to provide greater traction.

No matter what style of boot you decide to wear this season, if you suffer a fall, contact our office for prompt evaluation and treatment and follow the RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) protocol:

REST. Stay off the injured foot since walking can cause further damage.

ICE. To reduce swelling and pain, apply a bag of ice over a thin towel to the affected area. Do not put ice directly against the skin. Use ice for 20 minutes and then wait at least 40 minutes before icing again.

COMPRESSION. An elastic wrap should be used to control swelling.

ELEVATION. Keep the foot elevated to reduce the swelling. It should be even with or slightly above your heart level.

Heel pain is a common issue that affects many people. However, becoming familiar with the causes of heel pain and being able to spot them early can help you get to the root of your heel problem to find the diagnosis and treatment you need. Find out more about spotting heel pain and learn some common causes of this condition with Advanced Foot and Ankle Specialists with locations in Elgin, Crystal Lake, Schaumburg, Huntley, and Chicago, IL.

What causes heel pain?
Though heel pain can come from many sources, there are some common conditions which can contribute to its development. If you have heel pain, you may experience difficulty standing for a long period of time or even standing on the affected foot at all. Walking may also become more problematic, especially as the condition worsens. These symptoms are often worse in the morning and improve upon activity. Common causes of heel pain often include:

plantar fasciitis

fibromyalgia

tendonitis

bone spur

heel spur

heel pad damage

tarsal tunnel syndrome

pinched nerve

stress fractures

How will my doctor diagnose heel pain?
Your foot doctor uses a physical examination to search for abnormalities or symptoms of underlying conditions. In some cases, they may use an x-ray or MRI to explore the inner workings of the foot. From there, your podiatrist makes a diagnosis and begins to craft a specialized treatment plan depending on your diagnosis and its severity.

Foot and ankle injuries among young athletes tend to increase during the fall sports season. Football, soccer and basketball are the sports most likely to lead to sprains, broken bones and other problems. Follow these six tips to help protect your children from serious foot and ankle injuries this fall:

Treat foot and ankle injuries right away. What seems like a sprain is not always a sprain. In addition to cartilage injuries, your child might have injured other bones in the foot without knowing it. Schedule an appointment with our office if you suspect your child has a foot or ankle injury. The sooner treatment starts, the sooner long-term instability or arthritis can be prevented and the sooner your child can get back into the game.

Have a foot and ankle surgeon check old sprains before the season starts. A checkup at our office can reveal whether your child’s previously injured foot or ankle might be vulnerable to sprains and could possibly benefit from wearing a supportive brace during competition.

Buy the right shoe for the sport. Different sports require different shoe gear. Players should not mix baseball cleats with football shoes.

Children should start the season with new shoes. Old shoes can wear down and become uneven on the bottom, causing the ankle to tilt because the foot cannot lie flat.

Check playing fields for dips, divots and holes. Most sports-related foot and ankle sprains are caused by jumping and running on uneven surfaces. This is why some surgeons recommend parents walk the field, especially when children compete in nonprofessional settings like public parks, for spots that could catch a player’s foot. Alert coaching officials to any irregularities.

Encourage stretching and warmup exercises. Calf stretches and light jogging before competition help warm up ligaments and blood vessels, reducing the risk for foot and ankle injuries.

If you would like a foot and ankle surgeon to evaluate your child’s feet, ankles or athletic shoes before fall sports season begins, contact our office to schedule an appointment.

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